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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. mug — a face
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. rest — what's left
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. march — the month
  10. lie — to recline
  11. wound — an injury
  12. rest — what's left
  13. vault — a safe
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. mug — to rob
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. bound — obliged
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bound — tied together
  21. mug — a cup
  22. bound — certain
  23. march — music
  24. march — the month

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com